A variety of packages, including dispensing packages or containers, have been developed for personal care products such as shampoo, lotions, etc., as well as for other fluids.
A popular package design is the squeezable bottle or flexible container which is intended to be squeezed by the user to dispense the product. Such a container typically includes a closure through which the product is dispensed when the closure is manipulated to an open position. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,115,949 and 5,054,634 and United Kingdom Patent Specification No. 1,462,508.
In some designs, the closure incorporates a moveable member, such as a lid, which can be positioned to open or close a dispensing orifice. In addition, some of the designs incorporate a system for venting of air into the container to equalize the internal and external pressures when the squeezing forces are removed from the container.
While the above-discussed types of closures may function generally satisfactorily for the purposes for which they were designed, it would be desirable to provide an improved dispensing closure with structural and operational advantages. In particular, it would be advantageous to provide a dispensing system which could be incorporated in a "high-style" design exhibiting a compact, stream-lined profile having an aesthetically pleasing exterior configuration substantially free of functional details and outwardly projecting features.
Additionally, such an improved dispensing closure should effectively occlude the dispensing passage to provide tight shut off when the closure is closed. The closure should also incorporate a sealing system that is effective to prevent or minimize unwanted leakage onto and around the closure parts when the closure is in the open or closed positions, as well as when the closure is manipulated or moved between the open and closed positions.
It would also be desirable to provide an improved dispensing closure with means for efficiently venting air into the container, as well as a closure which can function to effectively dispense product from the container even when the container is nearly empty.
Further, it would be beneficial to provide an improved design in which the closure can be operated on the container while the container is in a substantially vertical position and can also provide a dispensing spout for discharging the product downwardly from the closure into the hand of a user.
Finally, such an improved closure should incorporate effective structural stop mechanisms for facilitating actuation of the closure between the open and closed positions.
The present invention provides an improved dispensing closure which can accommodate designs having the above-discussed benefits and features.